Hellertown man crashes ATV while drunk, police say

A Hellertown man drove his all-terrain vehicle without lights past a police car in Tuesday's early darkness, and was injured when the ATV crashed and rolled in the woods, police said.

Eric S. Schaller, 27, of 101 Ackerman St. was arrested and charged with several offenses, including drunken driving.

Schaller was driving the ATV south in the 700 block of Front Street at 2:23 a.m. when he went through a stop sign at Water Street, police said. A borough patrolman turned on his car's emergency lights and siren, but Schaller allegedly failed to stop.

Schaller turned west on Saucon Street, running another stop sign, and drove into the woods, according to the police arrest affidavit. The ATV then rolled over, injuring the driver and damaging the ATV, police said.

Schaller had glassy eyes and slurred speech, and admitted he had been drinking alcholic beverages, police said. He failed a breath test and was taken to St. Luke's Hospital-Fountain Hill for a blood-alcohol test, which found him to be drunk, police said.

He was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, fleeing police, driving without lights to avoid arrest, running stop signs, reckless driving, careless driving, driving at an unsafe speed, driving an unregistered vehicle, driving an uninsured vehicle and driving an uninspected vehicle.

Schaller was arraigned Tuesday by District Judge James J. Narlesky and released on $2,500 bail.